HALL OF FAME BALLOT –

 The First-Timers

Yesterday, I discussed briefly the former players who have returned to the Hall of Fame Ballot. I received some excellent e-mails on those players, particularly Bert Blyleven. It is certainly a fun topic to discuss! Today, I will talk about the players who are on the Hall of Fame Ballot for the first time. As I mentioned yesterday, last year, there were 15 players on the ballot for the first time. Two of them, Dennis Eckersley and Paul Molitor, were voted into the Hall of Fame. The other 13, including Joe Carter, did not receive the necessary 5% of the vote, the amount necessary to remain on the ballot.

To me, the guys on the ballot for the first time are very interesting. The criteria to be on the ballot is to have played in the major leagues for 10 seasons and to have been retired for five years. It is fun for me to look at this list because there is generally a guy or two who just has to be elected. But then there is another group of players, guys who quietly lasted in the league for over a decade. Some of these guys aren't stars and only hope to receive a complimentary vote or two. But the fact is that any player who lasts in the league for ten years has to be a pretty decent ball player (Juan Castro may be the exception!). Today, I want to acknowledge those guys, as well as make my final "vote" for the Hall of Fame.

So, with no further ado, let's get to the list. Again, I would love to hear your comments on my thoughts, so please e-mail me.

Jim Abbott - California Angels, New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers

As I wrote in March when discussing the members of the 1988 US Olympic Team:

Abbott won the Golden Spikes Award in 1987 and then the Sullivan Award as the national’s top amateur athlete in 1988. In his three seasons at Michigan, he was a combined 26-8 with a 3.03 ERA. Abbott was one of the last players to move directly from the college ranks to the big leagues. In 1989, he made his major league debut on April 8. He made 29 starts and went 12-12 with a 3.91 ERA. In 1991, he was 18-11 in 34 starts, with a 2.89 ERA. Interestingly, in 1992, he dropped his ERA to 2.77, but had just a 7-15 record. He spent the next two seasons with the New York Yankees where, in 1992, he threw a no-hitter. He then split 1995 between the White Sox and Angels. He was out the entire 1997 season after going 2-18 with the Angles in 1996. He came back with the White Sox for five starts in 1998, and did well, going 5-0. In 1999, he spent time with the Brewers and went 2-8. For his career, he was 87-108. He was exactly an average pitcher. His OPS + was 100 and his 4.25 ERA was exactly the same as average in that time. He had a pretty solid major league career, and I haven’t even mentioned that Abbott was born without a right hand, making everything that he did even more impressive, including two big league hits. He never used that as an excuse. Abbott was worthy of everyone’s admiration!

Wade Boggs - Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Devil Rays

I have to be honest, Wade Boggs was one of my least favorite players when I was growing up. He was boring. He just hit singles. He had an ugly, slap-the-ball-to-left-softly swing. And the whole eating-chicken thing got annoying (although, I have to admit that I did that too!). But the fact is, when it comes to singles hitters, there have been very few as good as Boggs. Sure, he hit a few doubles too. His best season, clearly, was 1987. He hit .363 while hitting 24 homers and driving in 89 runs! You have to wonder where that came from because he only hit over eight home runs one other time (11 in 1994) in his 18 seasons. But Boggs does have one of those magical numbers that ensures a plaque in the Hall of Fame; Boggs notched his 3,000th hit in 1999 with his hometown Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He played in the All-Star game his first 12 full seasons. He led the league in batting average five times (and was top 10 eleven times). He led the league in on-base percentage six times (top 10 eleven times). He didn't strike out. His bat control was impressive that you rarely saw him as much as pop up. He had to leave Boston for the Yankees to get his World Series ring. And, as bad a defensive third baseman as he was early in his career, he won two Gold Gloves in 1994 and 1995 (of course, he was with the Yankees at the time, so you have to wonder). So although I won't consider him with the all-time greats, he was as good as anyone at what he did, hit for average and get on-base, as anyone. He's got the numbers. He is a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Tom Candiotti - Milwaukee Brewers, Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland A's

Tom Candiotti was a knuckleball pitcher throughout his career. He is another guy that I remember the Twins facing a lot. I knew he wasn't great, but he was better than average (barely) and stuck around a long time. In 1986, he went 16-12, and threw 252.3 innings with a 3.57 ERA. He had double-digit wins in eight seasons. Of course, you have to couple that with the fact that he had ten double-digit loss seasons. But as a knuckleballer, he did eat up a lot of innings for a lot of years and did provide value to his teams. Now you will see Candiotti's thoughts on baseball topics on ESPN.com.

Chili Davis - San Francisco Giants, California Angels, Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals, New York Yankees

Chili Davis came to the Twins before the 1991 season after a couple of down seasons with California. He proved a vital cog in the Twins lineup for two seasons, including that World Series championship team. Throughout his career, I think it would be fair to call Davis a consistent power-hitter. In his 19 seasons, he hit 20 or more homers ten times (and 19 twice), but he hit 30 home runs just once. Early in his career, he stole a bunch of bases as an outfielder with the Giants, but injuries really slowed him down, forcing his move to the DH spot. Davis played in three All-Star games. He won a World Series title with the Twins in '91 as well as two with the Yankees in the late '90s.

Mark Langston - Seattle Mariners, Montreal Expos, California/Anaheim Angels, San Diego Padres, Cleveland Indians

I remember Mark Langston being one of those guys that, when he faced the Twins, he was incredibly tough! But in reality, it wasn't only against the Twins, he was a very good starting pitcher period. His rookie year with the Mariners, he was 17-10 with a 3.40 ERA. Over the next dozen seasons, he won 15 or more games six times. He won 19 games twice. Langston won seven Gold Gloves. They were earned. His range factor was 1.36, compared to the league average of 0.60. He was also named to four All-Star teams. Anyone who wins 179 games and pitches almost 3,000 innings deserves a lot of credit! 

Jack McDowell - Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Anaheim Angels

If I thought Langston was good, I remember Jack McDowell as being absolutely dominant and scary to face. He had the goatee. He had a somewhat wild delivery. And he had an arrogance about him that made him tougher. But a byproduct of the delivery caught up to him in the form of injuries late in his shortened career. That is unfortunate because he was VERY good. From 1990-1993, he went 73-39 with an ERA in the low-3's and was on three All-Star teams. He won the AL Cy Young Award in 1993 when he went 22-10 with a 3.37 ERA in 256+ innings. He had two more 'good' seasons, but then the injuries took over. After 1995, he didn't have an ERA under 5 again, and he retired at 33. Of course, he still had a successful music career to fall back on. You can also read frequent articles by Jack McDowell on Yahoo Sports.

Willie McGee - St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland A's, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox

Not much was more painful to watch than seeing Willie McGee hobble and struggle to find his way to the batter's box. But once he got into the box, he was an excellent hitter! And even later in his career as a part-timer and pinch hitter, he was a professional hitter. In 1985, he led the National League with a .353 batting average and was named league MVP. Best known for his years with the speedy Cardinals lineup, McGee left the team in 1990, but came back in 1996 for his final four seasons. McGee played in four All-Star games. He won three Gold Gloves in the outfield. He led the league in batting average twice. And he stole a lot of bases! He also played on the Cardinals World Series championship team in 1982. He was on the Cardinals teams that lost to the Royals in 1985 and the Twins in 1987 in the World Series. He also was on the A's team that lost the 1990 World Series. McGee may be an underrated player. Even his OPS+ is 100, meaning very average! But fans know what he did, and even though it didn't mean he hit for a lot of power, he contributed a lot to some winning teams! 

Jeff Montgomery - Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals

Maybe the least known player on this list, Montgomery may have been one of the most productive. Of course, with a closer or reliever, the W-L record can be thrown out the door. Montgomery recorded a lot of saves. From 1988-1993, he was incredible. He went 32-25. His 1988 ERA was 3.45, but his ERAs those next five seasons were: 1.37, 2.39, 2.90, 2.18, 2.27. He was still a better-than-average reliever for the next five seasons as well. He likely won't receive many votes, and certainly is not a Hall of Fame candidate, but this is the kind of player who is frequently overlooked, and it's fun to see just how good he was over an extended period of time!

Otis Nixon - New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Montreal Expos, Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins

Nixon is an example of a guy who stayed in the league so long for one, and only one, reason, his speed. And, when I mean speed, I do mean his running speed! Drug problems were with him a few times in his career, and still is today it appears. But, just take a look at Nixon's OPS+. Again, 100 is average, 77 is Luis Rivas/Cristian Guzman range!  He bunted well and took a few walks. And when he got on base, that's when he went to work. Nixon was in the top 10 in the league in stolen bases 11 straight years. He did play in two World Series during two separate stints with the Braves.

Tony Phillips - Oakland A's, Detroit Tigers, California/Anaheim Angels, Chicago White Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets

Phillips is another guy who people just don't remember for how good he was. Yes, he had a few memorable outbursts, but those unfortunately overshadow how good he was, and for a long time. He rarely hit for high average, but just look at his walk total and on-base percentage. He had another very small strike zone. Those numbers made him a valuable component to teams. He was also able to play a lot of positions. Certainly not a Hall of Famer, but he is very underrated in my eyes.

Terry Steinbach - Oakland A's, Minnesota Twins

I have Terry Steinbach listed as the 6th best Minnesota-born hitter in baseball history. The former Minnesota Gopher is product of New Ulm. Steinbach was a three-time All Star, who won the 1988 AS MVP. He was  key contributor to those strong Oakland A's teams in the late-80s and early 90s. His best season was his last in Oakland, 1996. He his .272 with 35 homers and 100 RBI in 145 games. He then decided to spend his last three seasons catching at home, for the Twins, during some of their bad years.

Daryl Strawberry - New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees

What could have been! Just look at his career numbers. Then realize that he did most of that in the first nine seasons of his career. After that, he played more than 63 games just once. But drugs and other personal problems curtailed all of his promise. The Yankees did so much for him, and he did repay them with a solid season in 1998. In those first nine seasons, Strawberry averaged 31 homers and 92 RBI. Let's just say that he would have met that average over his final eight seasons, here is how his numbers would look... 528 homers, 1,568 RBI. Those would be Hall of Fame numbers!

So there you have it. Some thoughts and numbers of the players on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time this year. Any thoughts? E-mail me.

SUMMARY  

Again I can’t stress enough that I think all of these players were incredible (at least better than me, and unless you were a really good big leaguer too, probably you too!)! They not only stayed in the league for more than a decade. So, here are the results if I were to give a percentage that I think they will receive (Not based on last year or any other percentage):

1.)      Wade Boggs – 86%

2.)      Everyone else – less than 5%

 

In other words, I think that Wade Boggs will be the only player who will make the Hall of Fame on his first ballot. I also believe that he will likely be the only player who will get over 5% of the vote, so the others will drop off the ballot. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Daryl Strawberry will get more respect for the nine good seasons than he will lose because of his last eight seasons and some of his off-field problems since then.

SETH’S HALL OF FAME VOTE

As I said yesterday, I wish I had a vote for this honor. I would really take it seriously. I would do my homework, and obviously far more than just what you see above. Again, as a voter, I would have the ability to vote for up to ten players for the Hall of Fame. Here are my choices (including the four I mentioned yesterday):

1.) Bert Blyleven – Pitcher

2.) Goose Gossage – Relief Pitcher

3.) Ryan Sandberg - 2B

4.) Lee Smith - Relief Pitcher

5.) Wade Boggs - 3B

So, there are five of a possible ten votes. I could add up to five more players, but I don't think that people should vote for 10 just because you can!

What do you think about my “vote”? Am I on track in my analysis and thoughts? Who am I leaving out that you would want to be included? I’d love to hear your arguments on this topic. I know many will write about their votes and tell you who they think should be selected for the Hall of Fame, so I wanted to get my thoughts out first. Please, send me an e-mail and let’s get a discussion going on this Hall of Fame topic. Voters (Baseball Writers of America) have until the end of the month to cast their votes, and the results will be announced in early January. At that time, we will know who the 2005 Hall of Fame Inductees will be.

 

That is it for today. Again, I would love to hear any questions or comments, e-mail me. And, have a wonderful day!   

 

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